pga champions tour requirements

Last updated: Sep 27, 2023

Posted by Rookie Road Staff

How Do You Qualify For Champions Golf Tour?

The PGA Tour Champions is highly competitive and exclusive. In order to qualify, golfers must satisfy the following criteria:

• There are 78 total spots in the Tour
• Golfers must be 50 years or older
• Golfers must play in regional qualifier unless otherwise exempt
• Golfers must pay a $3,000 application fee

The PGA Tour Champions is a professional golf tour for senior golfers. Many of the greatest golfers of all time have played on this tour, including Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.  To qualify for the PGA Tour Champions, one must either be a professional PGA Golfer or a highly skilled amateur golfer who receives an exemption.

Champions Tour Eligibility

Those looking to qualify for the PGA Tour Champions must be at least 50 years of age, or 49 and turning 50 before June 1st of that year. They also must apply online and pay a fee of $3,000. With the application, at least two letters of reference from a Class A PGA Pro or Champions Tour member are required. You are also required to show a copy of your birth certificate and results from two tournaments held in the last year. 

Amateurs who meet the age criteria can enter the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament. An amateur who finishes among the top 30 at this event must forfeit their status as an amateur to play in the PGA Tour Event Champions Qualifier. When you are in the top 12 of the qualifying stage, the top five will be fully exempt, and the next seven will be reserved and will be able to compete in Champions Tour events on a space-available basis.

Golfers can also earn a sponsorship exemption for a specific tournament, in which a sponsor of the golfer grants entry to the tournament. These exemptions are typically reserved for more popular golfers, as granting them entry will help the tournament’s overall brand.

How old do you need to be to qualify for the Champions Tour?

To qualify for the PGA Tour Champions, you must be at least 50 years old.  You can also qualify for the Champions Tour if you are 49 turning 50 by June 1st of that year. The Champions Tour is reserved for senior golf players that have aged out of the PGA Tour. However, golfers over the age of 50 are still eligible to play in PGA Tour events.

Pages Related to How Do You Qualify For Champions Golf Tour?

• Golf One-Stroke Penalty
• Golf Disqualification (DQ)
• Golf Too Many Clubs in Bag Penalty
• Golf Embedded Ball Rules
• Golf Clubs List
• Golf Shot Types

Rules & Regulations

2024 pga tour player handbook.

PGA TOUR 2024 Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations

2024 PGA TOUR Champions Player Handbook

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS 2024 Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations

2024 Korn Ferry Player Handbook

Korn Ferry Tour 2024 Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations

© 2016 PGA TOUR, INC. All Rights Reserved

How Do You Qualify for the Senior (Champions) Tour?

The easiest way to qualify for the Champions Tour is a successful PGA tour career, but if that isn’t your path, you’ll need to survive qualifying school.

More about the Senior (Champions) Tour

The vast majority of exemptions to the Champions Tour are designed for professionals to move from the PGA tour to the Champions tour when they turn 50 years old.

Champions Tour qualifying school involves two stages 1) First Stage and 2) Final Stage. You must finish in the top 5 to get full status – top 30 gives you some conditional status on the Champions Tour.

Share with your friends

Updated: 30-Mar-2021 | Email feedback to this question

Questions: Random | Recent | Categories

Celebrities and Entertainment in Golf

Golf Courses of the World

Champions of the Game

Golf History

Playing the Game

Recent and Upcoming Events

Rules of Golf

Women's Golf

OUR MISSION

GOLF TRIVIA. Your home for fun and interesting golf questions and facts. You simply can enjoy our golf trivia, sign up and become an accredited publisher or subscribe to our newsletter so we can keep you in the loop. It's all for FREE.

Recent Golf Questions

LATEST QUESTIONS

Quick links, submit questions.

Become an Accredited Publisher and get your name in lights on Why We Love Golf. If you’re a passionate writer and researcher join the community, publish your own questions, and be recognised by your golfing peers.

Register your interest

Category - Major Events

How players can qualify for the pga championship.

A view of the Wanamaker Trophy at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY.

PGA Championship Eligibility Requirements

• All former winners of the PGA Championship.
• Winners of the last five Masters (2020 – 2024)
• Winners of the last five U.S. Opens (2019 – 2023).
• Winners of the last five Open Championships (2018 – 2023). Canceled in 2020.
• Winners of the last three THE PLAYERS Championships (2022 – 2024).
• The top 3 on the International Federation Official World Golf Ranking List as of April 29, 2024.
• Winner of the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
• The top 15 finishers and ties from the 2023 PGA Championship.
• The top 20 finishers from the 2024 PGA Professional Championship.
• The top 70 players who are eligible and have earned the most PGA Championship Points from the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge through the 2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson (ending May 5, 2024).
• Playing members of the last-named U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams (2023) provided they remain within the top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings as of May 6, 2024.
• Winners of PGA TOUR co-sponsored or approved tournaments, whose victories are considered official, from the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge through the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship and the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic.
• The top 3 finishers on the DP World Tour Asian Swing event rankings, that include the Porsche Singapore Open, the Hero Indian Open, the ISPS Handa Championship and the Volvo China Open.
• The PGA of America reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories listed above.
• If necessary to complete the field, those players beyond the top 70 players who are eligible and who have earned the most PGA Championship Points from the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge through the 2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson (ending May 5, 2024), in order of their position on such list.

We also recommend

Tiger Woods in the Majors: An Ultimate Guide

A Look at America's Oldest Golf Courses

quick coaching

How pga championship players prepare for uneven greens.

PGA of America

The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of PGA of America Golf Professionals who work daily to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

OPEN QUALIFIER SECTION REGISTRATION

Qualifying fees & forms.

The entry fees collected by the Section for Pre-Qualifiers and Event Qualifiers are listed below:

Champions - Event Qualifying Application for Entry

This download contains the 2024 PGA TOUR Champions Application for Entry for Pre-Qualifying & Event Qualifying. Please contact the host section for any questions.

© 2016 PGA TOUR, INC. All Rights Reserved

What Are the Requirements for a PGA Tour Card? 6 Ways to Earn One

Here are 6 ways to earn a PGA Tour card

• DESCRIPTION Ben Martin becomes Tour Bound
• SOURCE James Gilbert / Contributor
• PERMISSION Getty Image license

In a lot of ways, getting a PGA Tour card is like winning the lottery. The path is simple, but the odds are against you. If you beat those odds, however, the payout is handsome.

To play as a member on the PGA Tour, you must have a PGA Tour card. Players earn their card by accomplishing one of several requirements. Here’s a breakdown of just how to earn a PGA Tour card, and six ways to snag one.

1. PGA Tour Q-School

PGA Tour Q-School used to be a direct path to the PGA Tour. Then Q-School stopped giving players PGA Tour cards, giving them status on the Korn Ferry Tour instead, where they could play for spots on the PGA Tour over the course of an entire season. But now, just like in years past, players can earn a PGA Tour card through Q-School and head straight to the PGA Tour. However, only the top five finishers from the final stage of Q-School earn PGA Tour cards and get to head directly to the PGA Tour.

Korn Ferry Tour: Strategies to Qualify and Challenges to Expect

2. Korn Ferry Tour Points

The most direct path to the PGA Tour is through the Korn Ferry Tour. While gaining Korn Ferry Tour status is no breeze in itself, once there, players have multiple avenues to earn their PGA Tour card.

There are 30 PGA Tour cards up for grabs through the Korn Ferry Tour each year. The top 30 players from the Korn Ferry Tour's season-long standings after the KFT Championship earn cards.

Getting into the Korn Ferry Tour is a process in itself, which can be accomplished through Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School , or via the Forme Tour , Mackenzie (Canadian) Tour, or the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

3. Korn Ferry Tour Three-Win Promotion

Korn Ferry Tour players can jump directly to the PGA Tour through an exemption known as the Three-Win Promotion . This promotion is exactly what it sounds like, after three Korn Ferry Tour wins in one season, a player gains his PGA Tour card.

The three-win promotion has proven to be a tough route to the big tour, as only 12 players have accomplished the feat since 1997.

4. PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership

Players can bypass the Korn Ferry Tour and jump straight to the PGA Tour by gaining PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership, then parlaying that into a PGA Tour card.

The PGA Tour reserves a small number of spots each week for non-Tour members through sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. Non-members who compete in PGA Tour events through these avenues and perform well enough can earn Special Temporary Membership by accumulating the amount of FedExCup points equal to the player who finished 150th on the FedExCup list the previous season.

Once a player has accepted Special Temporary Membership, they can accept unlimited sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events and can earn their card by finishing in the top 125 of the FedExCup points list during the regular season.

Without Special Temporary Membership, non-members can only accept up to seven sponsor exemptions and compete in up to 12 PGA Tour events in a season.

Players on a Special Temporary Membership are not eligible for the FedExCup playoffs.

5. PGA Tour U Gets College Golfers to the PGA Tour

Through PGA Tour U , the PGA Tour has removed some hurdles for the top collegiate players who begin their transition into the professional ranks when their amateur careers end.

Top collegiate players in the final year of their college careers earn ranking points based on their performance in the NCAA Division I championship, PGA Tour events, major championships, and the Dubai Desert Classic. At the end of the season, five PGA Tour University first-team and second-team honorees are identified, along with 10 PGA Tour University third-team players. 

The top player earns PGA TOUR membership for the rest of the season, plus the followig season. The top five players earn Korm Ferry Tour membership for the rest of the season, a spot in the Final Stage of Q-School, and the opportunity to accept unlimited sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events throug the following season.

Nos. 6-10 earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour status for the current season, an exemption into the North American portion of the PGA TOUR Americas schedule, and an exemption into Second Stage of Q-School.

The 10 third-team honorees get exemptions to the North America Swing of the PGA TOUR Americas and exemptions into the Second Stage of Q-School.

6. Win a PGA Tour Event or Major Championship

The fastest way to earn a PGA Tour card is also the least likely. Anybody who wins a PGA Tour event gets an immediate two-year PGA Tour exemption. This means that any non-member who gets into the field at a PGA Tour event via a sponsor exemption or Monday qualifier, and goes on to win that event, gets their PGA Tour card.

While yes, this path is extremely rare, it's exactly what Nick Dunlap did in 2024. He entered a PGA Tour event, the American Express, as an amateur, and despite the astronomica odds, won the tournament. Shortly after, Dunlap took advantage of his two-plus year PGA Tour exemption by turning pro.

Major champions get even more luxury, securing a five-year exemption to both the PGA Tour and European Tour. Three of the four major championships each year reserve spots for amateur players , meaning that theoretically an amateur could win the Masters, U.S. Open or Open Championship and secure their PGA Tour card for the next five years.

Benefits of a Tour Card

By having a PGA Tour card, a golfer can play in PGA Tour events. Many players also receive sponsor endorsements and advertising contracts. The PGA Tour card provides the player the opportunity to win large purses in tournaments . Players who make the cut in routine PGA Tour events generally cash at least a five-figure check, with that amount increasing with higher-stature events and major championships.

In 1965, the first PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (called Q-School) was held and John Schlee won the event. In 1968 and 1969 and from 1975 to 1981, there were two tournaments each year.

Until 2013, Q-School was used to grant membership to the PGA Tour. From 2013 to 2023, Q-School served as a gateway to the Korn Ferry Tour, with PGA Tour Cards handed out through the Korn Ferry Tour regular season and finals.

Misconceptions

Many people think that if a player holds a PGA Tour Card, he can play in any event on the PGA tour. However, new PGA tour players are eligible for tournaments but players commit to tournaments based on their priority ranking. Players with lower priority rankings can only play an event when it's not already full by the time they have a chance to commit.

Advertisement

'we don't want pga tour rejects:' is 50 still the right age of eligibility for pga tour champions opinions are sharp and divided, share this article.

(Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part series examining the PGA Tour Champions and its eligibility age from Golfweek’s PGA Tour senior writer Adam Schupak. The first part of the series, on Tiger Woods and his potential involvement in the PGA Tour Champions, is linked here. )

Carl Pettersson is stuck in what many PGA Tour professionals over the age of 40 refer to as no man’s land.

Pettersson, 46, aka the Swedish Pancake, has made 443 career Tour starts, won five times, reached as high as No. 23 in the world in 2006 and earned more than $22 million on the PGA Tour, but injured a wrist in 2016 and has cashed a check just once since October 2017. He’s made just 10 starts in the last six years since turning 40 and underwent surgery on both hips a year ago – three months apart – to repair torn labrums that had limited his mobility.

“I’m just getting back into the swing of things,” he said during a recent phone interview with Golfweek . “I’d like to make a run on the Champions Tour in a few years.”

That is a common refrain of pro golfers as they approach the half-century mark. In no other profession do workers welcome turning 50 more than PGA Tour pros, who blow out all those candles and instantly become eligible for golf’s great mulligan, PGA Tour Champions, the 50-and-older circuit. But getting to an age that often sets off a mid-life crisis in others and transitioning to a life of (mostly) no cuts and suddenly being one of the longer players again can be tricky business. As the Tour becomes younger and deeper, it’s become harder than ever to keep a card and remain relevant after age 40, demoting some pros to eke out a living on the Korn Ferry Tour, others to become talking heads on TV or, in Pettersson’s case, Uber Dad around town.

Is 50 still the right age for eligibility to PGA Tour Champions? It’s a question that has surfaced every few years since the senior circuit came into fruition in 1980. Opinions are sharp and divided.

Jeff Sluman tees off the second hole during the first round of the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai Golf Club. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

“It could possibly help both tours,” Jeff Sluman, 66, said. “Get some more youth in there, more access for the Korn Ferry Tour pros on the PGA Tour.”

“Every record out here started at 50,” Scott McCarron, 58, said. “They should never lower it. That’s what it is and what it should always be.”

When Golfweek asked PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan if he felt age 50 still is the right criteria to become eligible for the PGA Tour Champions and has there been any consideration of lowering that number, he essentially brushed the question aside for another day.

“The only way I would respond to that is that 50 has worked very well, and when you look at the impact you can have by lowering the age level and thinking about who is going to start playing on PGA Tour Champions versus continuing to play here competitively and thinking about those that are on PGA Tour Champions today and the records that are there, it’s complicated,” Monahan said. “But we’re dealing with a lot of complexity, so that’s something that we’ll continue to look at.”

Four years ago, before COVID-19 or LIV Golf emerged to focus their attention, members of the PGA Tour policy board pushed for PGA Tour Champions to evaluate if the time was right to lower the age of eligibility. One suggestion was to staircase the age down one year at a time until it would be lowered to 45 to avoid the shock and make it more palatable for current members of the senior circuit. The reality is there’s no equitable way to do it – someone is going to feel as if he’s been screwed.

Justin Ray, head of content at Twenty-first Group, provided several stats that confirm what seems obvious by now: the PGA Tour is getting younger. From 2000 through the 2012-13 season, 18.2 percent of PGA Tour winners were age 40 or older. Since 2013-14, that number is significantly lower — 8.4 percent.

From 2000 through 2011, there were nine different seasons where 15 percent or more of the wins on Tour went to players age 40 or older. There has not been a single season where 15 percent or more were age 40 or older since.

In the 2021-22 season, there was only one player in his 40s all season to win — Chez Reavie at the Barracuda Championship, and he was 40 years old. Since 1990, there have been four seasons where there were two or fewer winners on the Tour age 40-plus — wait for it — two of them are 2020 (2 wins) and 2022 (1 win) and this season could be headed to a third. Camilo Villegas, 41 at the time, Justin Rose, 42, and Lucas Glover, who won twice at age 43, were the only 40-somethings to lift a trophy last season. Just one player 40 or older has tasted victory so far this season: Brice Garnett, 40, at the Puerto Rico Open , an opposite-field event with a diluted field.

Brice Garnett celebrates making his putt for birdie on the fourth playoff hole to beat Erik Barnes at the 2024 Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

In fact, since Phil Mickelson’s win at the 2021 PGA Championship at age 50, only seven events have been won by players 40 or older – a ratio of just 4.8 percent. Nobody older than 43 has won during that span. Stewart Cink won at 47 (Sept. 2020 and April 2021) and Brian Gay at 48 (Nov. 2020) but they have been the exception to the rule.

This season, there were eight players age 45 or older that were fully exempt on the Tour, including Matt Kuchar (46), Zach Johnson (48) and Scott Gutschewski (47) and only one of them, Charley Hoffman at No. 82, is currently in the top 125. The trend of younger winners and 40-somethings trying to hold on to status for dear life as they count the days to 50 has been hard to ignore and was the impetus for the PGA Tour policy board approaching the Champions Tour policy board to investigate the issue. A study was conducted that found that neither sponsors nor players were in favor of it.

So, the idea of lowering the eligibility age died on the vine.

James Hahn, 42, one of the policy board members at the time, recalled this being the final verdict: “They said, ‘We don’t want PGA Tour rejects. If you’re still competitive on the PGA Tour (in your late 40s) and have status, why would you want to play on the Champions Tour?’ ”

Indeed, the players who do move the needle tend to stay competitive longer and try to delay their transition to the senior circuit as long as possible for a simple reason: Nearly all of the Champions Tour’s regular-season purses are approximately $3 million, or less than first prize at a PGA Tour Signature event. It’s a case of simple economics why a player such as Cink continues to spend the majority of his time on the PGA Tour despite having turned 51. But Hahn, for one, questioned how much the members of the Champions Tour policy board – at the time David Toms, Paul Goydos and Joe Durant, who had each earned more than $7 million since turning 50 – were able to separate their own self-interest with what’s best for the future of the senior circuit.

“We’re in a room full of hypocrites,” Hahn said. “Joe Durant lost his card and then went on the Champions Tour. Now he’s on the board. You don’t want a PGA Tour reject but you were a Tour reject.”

Joe Durant reacts after winning the 2024 Cologuard Classic at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Hahn said he supports seeing the eligibility age reduced to 47 or 48 – calling 45 “too young” – but claimed that Durant, Goydos and Toms didn’t want younger competition fearing they’d have instant success “and take money out of their pockets.”

“They don’t want that to happen,” Hahn said. “They are looking out for themselves and their friends more than for their business. There wasn’t a chance to pass the regulation of lowering the age because the people on their board are irrational and don’t see the benefit, or if they do see the benefit, it’s at the expense of them and their friends and affecting their personal income. After this conversation, it was put quickly on the sideburner because we didn’t want to have conflict between our boards.”

Kevin Kisner, 40, who served on the board at the time and supported lowering the eligibility age, agreed with Hahn’s assessment saying, “It’s dead in the water for now.”

To those on the Champions Tour, the attitude can best be summed up by the expression if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“We looked at it extensively as an organization and we looked at it in concert with the player directors on the regular tour. We were open to it because to be honest with you there’s been some push to lower it,” PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady said. “My response to that after looking at it, the guys that are going to move the needle out here, when they’re 48 the big names are still competitive on the regular tour, and they’re not going to come out here. At 48 I think Jim Furyk was still ranked in the top 10 in the world. I don’t need to lower the age for other journeymen, that doesn’t help us sell our product and it may have pushed out a Tom Kite or Ben Crenshaw. While Kite may not have been competitive anymore, he was fantastic in the pro-am and he’s a Hall of Famer. So I don’t need to bring in a 48-year-old who’s going to push out a big name. Now I may be told I have to do that at some point. But at least right now, everyone appreciates that it’s not something we should do.”

But the problem remains that being sentenced to “no man’s land” is happening a lot earlier for pros than ever before. More and more players are biding time in their 40s.

Woody Austin watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the 2020 SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club. (Photo: Chris Keane/Getty Images)

For Woody Austin, 60, who has banked more than $9 million on the senior circuit, the question is rather simple: “Do you get to collect anything else at any other endeavor at 45? I think not. It doesn’t need to get younger,” he said.

Austin blames equipment and the emphasis on the power game for dumbing down the ability to make a living on the Tour.

“I get that because the game has changed and these guys are better at 20 because the game is so frigging easy now you want to make it easier for the guys who get kicked out at 40, but no. You’re not a senior at 40 or 45,” he said. “Pretty soon the high school kids are going to be professionals if they keep making the game so easy. These guys aren’t any better at 19 than they were back in the day; you don’t have to know golf anymore. All they know is clubhead speed and go hit it. We had to know everything, they have to know nothing. Stop making it so easy and you wouldn’t have so many good 20-year-olds.”

Interestingly enough, Steve Stricker, 57, who led the Champions Tour money list with nearly $4 million in earnings last season and thus with the most to lose with an age change, has been one of the leading proponents of lowering the age. Stricker, who hosts the American Family Insurance Championship in his native Wisconsin, recalled being in the equipment trailer during a rain delay at his event in Madison in 2022 with Brady and discussing lowering the eligibility age.

“Wouldn’t 47 be a great time with Tiger about to turn 47 shortly?” he asked at the time. “It would boost this tour. We’re losing Lee Westwood and some other LIV guys. So I texted Tiger and he responds right away. No chance. When he comes out here he wants to compare his time out here to the greats – to Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. That’s him, right? Taking those records and having them in a spot where he can try to erase those records.”

But Stricker remains resolute that lowering the age would only strengthen the senior circuit.

“I still think we can change it to 48,” Stricker continued. “That doesn’t mean Tiger has to start at 48. But let Carl Pettersson come out and play and stay relevant. I support that concept, I really do. A couple years younger, somewhere in that range 45-50, 45 is a little aggressive but I’m thinking the 47-48 age would be a good boost for us. I think it is even more important now with some LIV guys going away. If we lower the age, there will be 10 more Steven Alkers that are 48 and hungry to play.”

Ernie Els embraces Steve Stricker after winning the 2024 American Family Insurance Championship. (Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

That touches on another future concern: Will players be motivated to play into their 50s?

While Alker is the model for the journeyman making good from the fountain of youth — he earned $841,849 for his career on the PGA Tour and more than $8 million and counting since joining the Champions Tour — Hunter Mahan, 42, could be the archetype of the modern star player. He won six times and earned more than $30 million in prize money before walking away from the game in 2021 to spend more time at home with his family and began coaching high school golf.

When he joined the Tour, Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh and Jay Haas experienced some of their best years after 40. Before them, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd all won majors in their 40s.

“I don’t see that happening again,” Mahan predicted. “The idea of a 40-year-old being the Player of the Year seems impossible. Guys are going to be like ‘I have so much money, do I want to grind at this at 45 and travel all the time?’ Some guys will, but it’s not going to be the game where guys play into their 60s.”

Davis Love III hits a tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the 2023 SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club. (Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Davis Love III concurred that careers are trending shorter and the eligibility age may need to be lowered down the road.

“You might get to a point where guys have made so much money that they don’t care about playing at 50,” he said. “If someone had my career starting now, they’d make $620 million. If a guy does that by their 40s, why would he want to come out here and play? Our purses are staying the same.”

But that hasn’t stopped Pettersson from counting the days until he’s eligible for one of the two exemptions for players aged 48-49 into Korn Ferry Tour fields every week based on his position on the career money list and likely at least a year of exempt status on PGA Tour Champions when he turns 50. Does Pettersson think 45 is the right age?

“I see both sides, where 45 makes a lot of sense but everyone else has had to wait to 50 so keep it at 50,” he said.

It seems inevitable that the data supporting lowering the age will become so convincing that the powers-that-be will have a hard time sticking their head in the sand for too long. Does being two months away from turning 47 and unlikely to benefit from an age reduction color his opinion? Pettersson chuckled and said …

“Selfishly for me, yes.”

Most Popular

Tom kim leads this list of 10 big names to miss the cut at the 2024 rocket mortgage classic, golfweek's best 2024: top public-access golf courses in every state, ranked, social media went crazy when donald trump and joe biden talked about golf handicaps at the debate, a 22-handicap took on firestone country club's 667-yard 'monster.' how'd that go, how did 15-year-old miles russell fare at the 2024 rocket mortgage classic, golfweek's best 2024: top private golf courses in every state, ranked, nelly korda withdraws from upcoming london event after suffering a dog bite in seattle.

At What Age Can You Start Playing On The PGA Champions Tour?

What happens to our favorite professional golfers as they age? Some may think that professional golfers retire as they get older and can no longer compete at the highest level, but that is seldom the case.

Professional golf isn’t just for the young players. The PGA created a special tour for older players called the PGA Tour Champions, where our favorite golfers of the past still compete and show their skills.

In the article below, we will cover all you need to know about the age requirement and other qualifications needed to play on the Senior PGA Tour.

Plus, we will cover some key differences between the tours and touch on some players competing today. We have a lot to cover so let’s get started!

What Are The Age Requirements For The Senior PGA Tour?

To be eligible to tee it up on the Senior PGA Tour, a golfer needs to be 50 years or older. This age threshold is in place to provide seasoned golfers with an opportunity to continue their professional careers once they are no longer competitive on the PGA Tour.

The Senior PGA Tour, now known as the PGA Tour Champions, allows golf legends and experienced players to showcase their skills and compete against their peers on an age-appropriate playing field.

The Senior PGA Tour provides an exciting platform for golf enthusiasts to witness some of their favorite players from the past continue to excel in the sport. Plus, the senior tour allows new faces into the world of professional golf.

How Do You Qualify For The Senior PGA Tour?

Players need to meet certain criteria to qualify for the Senior PGA Tour. Here are the common ways to qualify for the Senior PGA Tour:

Age Requirement: As covered above, the first requirement for the Senior PGA Tour is reaching the age of 50 or older. Once a golfer turns 50, they become eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions.

Exemptions: Some players may receive exemptions based on their accomplishments during their regular PGA Tour careers. These exemptions can include major championship victories or a specific number of PGA Tour wins. Exemptions are typically granted to top performers on the regular tour.

Qualifying Tournaments: The PGA Tour Champions holds qualifying tournaments for golfers who have not earned exemptions. These tournaments provide an opportunity for senior golfers to compete for a limited number of spots in PGA Tour Champions events .

Career Earnings or Performance: Some players may qualify based on their career earnings or performance on the PGA Tour. For example, if a player has reached a certain earnings threshold or has won a specific number of tournaments during their PGA Tour career, they may gain entry to the Senior PGA Tour.

Q-School: Similar to the regular PGA Tour, there is a Q-School (Qualifying School) for the PGA Tour Champions. Golfers who successfully navigate this school and perform well in the final stage can earn their tour card.

Sponsor Invitations: Occasionally, sponsors of PGA Tour Champions events may offer invitations to golfers. This including amateurs or international players, who may not meet the standard criteria.

Who Is The Oldest Player To Win A Senior PGA Tour Event?

In 2021, Bernhard Langer made history by becoming the oldest to win on the Champions Tour at the age of 64. He repeated this feat at age 64 and went on to break his own record in 2022, winning as a 65-year-old.

In 2023, he extended his record by winning multiple times at the age of 65. Langer’s record now stands at 65 years, 10 months, and 5 days when he secured victory at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open.

With this latest achievement, Langer dominates the list of oldest senior tour winners, holding the top five spots.

Can Senior PGA Players Use A Cart?

Unlike the PGA Tour’s rule on golf carts , Senior PGA players are allowed to use carts during tournament rounds. This accommodation is made to help older golfers manage the physical demands of playing multiple rounds of golf at a high level, considering the age and potential mobility issues of some participants.

The use of carts in senior PGA tournaments contrasts with the regular PGA Tour. PGA players must walk the course and carry their own clubs or use caddies. The option for carts on the PGA Tour Champions aims to ensure that senior players can continue to perform at their best.

However, it’s important to note that not all senior golfers choose to use carts. Some players still prefer to walk the course. The use of carts is a personal choice. It allows senior players to tailor their playing experience to their specific needs and preferences.

When Can Tiger Woods Play In The Senior PGA Tour?

Given Tiger’s unmatched career on the PGA Tour, he would be an automatic qualifier to the PGA Champions Tour. The only criteria holding him back from playing would be his age.

Tiger Woods was born on December 30, 1975. Based on his birthdate, he would become eligible for the PGA Tour Champions on December 30, 2025.

Final Thoughts

The PGA Tour Champions welcomes golfers aged 50+, providing a platform for seasoned players to continue their professional careers.

It’s an opportunity for golf legends to shine while introducing new faces to the world of senior professional golf.

Players can qualify through age eligibility, exemptions based on their PGA Tour achievements, qualifying tournaments, career performance, participation in Q-School, or sponsor invitations, ensuring a diverse and competitive field.

Notably, Bernhard Langer set a remarkable record by becoming the oldest senior tour winner in 2021, 2022, and 2023, achieving victory at ages 64 and 65 and holding the top five spots on the list of oldest senior tour winners.

Additionally, senior PGA players have the option to use golf carts during tournaments, offering comfort and flexibility.

As for Tiger Woods, his eligibility to join the PGA Tour Champions awaits when he turns 50 on December 30, 2025, promising an exciting chapter in senior professional golf given his illustrious career.

Hopefully, you liked this article and found it informative. Check out our other  blog posts if you liked this one!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

PGA Tour Champions age rule sparks heated debate among golfers

T he PGA Tour Champions are currently divided over the cut-off age 50 , which has sparked considerable debate within the sport. Since the senior tour's inception in 1980, the PGA has maintained that golfers must be at least 50 years old to participate.

As times have changed, conversations around the 50-year-old standard have evolved. Some players and fans believe that lowering the age limit could attract a youthful viewing demographic and deliver more chances for younger players who didn't maintain flourishing careers on the PGA Tour but still contain the talents and hunger to contend professionally.

On the other hand, golf purists argue against lowering the age limit, insisting that a 50-year-old threshold provides a clear and consistent standard for eligibility. Decreasing the age would force players who turn 50 to compete against much younger competitors who should persist for success on the regular PGA Tour.

• Amanda Balionis brings golf legend to tears in interview after McIlroy romance rumors
• Tiger Woods 'would love' to retire from golf but is being forced to keep playing

Forty-six-year-old golfer Carl Pettersson, who found considerable success on the PGA Tour before a wrist injury 2016 halted his career, is a prime example of the current debate. Before the injury, Pettersson won five times, reached as high as No. 23 in the world in 2006, and earned more than $22 million on the PGA Tour. However, since then, he has missed 18 cuts and earned just $43,245 in prize money.

Pettersson, who's been finding it tough to regain his form on the tour, has mentioned how he looks forward to hitting the big 5-0 and going head-to-head with other top golfers on the Champions Tour. "I'm just getting back into the swing of things," he told Golfweek. "I'd like to make a run on the Champions Tour in a few years."

For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .

Steve Stricker, one of the standout stars of the Champions Tour, topped the earnings list last season with nearly $4 million. While he's become the face of the league over time, Stricker is also a vocal advocate for lowering the age limit - especially considering the fact that Tiger Woods isn't too far from 50.

"Wouldn't 47 be a great time with Tiger about to turn 47 shortly? " queried Stricker. "It would boost this tour. We're losing Lee Westwood and some other LIV guys. So I texted Tiger and he responds right away. No chance. When he comes out here he wants to compare his time out here to the greats to Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. That's him, right? Taking those records and having them in a spot where he can try to erase those records."

When it comes to the tour's standpoint concerning the age limit, Tour Commissioner Jay Monohan remains inflexible. Similarly, James Hahn, who was present on the policy board at that time, defended this viewpoint by stating, "They said, 'We don't want PGA Tour rejects. If you're still competitive on the PGA Tour in your late 40s and have status, why would you want to play on the Champions Tour?'"

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .

Here are the 15 different ways to qualify for a PGA Championship exemption

Getting an invitation to the PGA Championship is quite an accomplishment. It means you've done something special in men's golf, garnering an opportunity to play in the only major championship limited to professional golfers.

While the PGA Championship is a major tournament, the PGA of America determines who gets invited at their sole discretion, there are 15 different ways a golfer can earn an invitation to the PGA Championship.

The best way to earn a PGA Championship invitation is to win the PGA Championship. PGA Championship Tournament winners are effectively invited back for life, and they're celebrated as part of the tournament's history.

The next best way to earn a PGA Championship invitation is to win one of the other three major championships. Winners of a major championship get invited to the other three majors for five years after winning, meaning a guaranteed 20 consecutive major starts after taking a major title. While not on the level of a major, The Players Championship is a huge tournament, and winners of the PGA Tour's crown jewel get a three-year exemption across the majors.

After those three ways, all the other paths to a PGA Championship invitation come with one-time invites that have to be earned back the next year. The qualification criteria range from winning or getting to the final of a prestigious amateur event, to winning on the PGA Tour, to reaching the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking by certain cutoff dates.

Then, the PGA Championship could always simply choose to invite who they would like, which they do from time to time. There are currently no exemptions specific to LIV Golf players.

If a player satisfies multiple criteria to earn a PGA Championship invitation, they don't get multiple years' worth of invitations, just an invite under the criteria with the greatest weight and longest counting period.

The 15 different ways to qualify for a PGA Championship invitation

• Former winners of The PGA Championship
• Winners of the U.S. Open in the last five years
• Winners of the British Open in the last five years
• Winners of the Masters in the last five years
• Winners of the Players Championship in the last three years
• The top three Official World Golf Ranking players among the International Federation Ranking as of April 29, 2024
• Winner of the last KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
• The top 15 finishers (including ties) from last year's PGA Championship tournament
• The top 20 finishers in the 2024 PGA Professional Championship
• The top 70 earners from the PGA Championship points list (PGA Tour money list) the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson through the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
• Playing members of the 2023 Ryder Cup teams, who are ranked in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of May 6, 2024
• Full PGA Tour event winners since 2023 PGA Championship
• The top 3 finishers in the DP World Tour's Asian Swing points
• PGA of America invitees (typically around the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking)
• Players beyond 70th in the PGA Championship points list to get to 156 players

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

Ryan talks about golf on various social platforms:

X or Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanballengee Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanballengeegolf Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanballengee YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanballengeegolf

Ballengee can be reached by email at ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com

Ryan occasionally links to merchants of his choosing, and GNN may earn a commission from sales generated by those links. See more in GNN's affiliate disclosure.

How does someone get into The Players Championship? There are 19 ways and none of them are easy

Want to tee it up in The Players Championship? 

Knock yourself out. Like any PGA Tour event, it’s open to anyone who shoots the low numbers. 

All one needs to do is turn professional and qualify for the Tour ... or play on other tours (PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry, DP World Tour) and use various avenues they have to punch a ticket to Ponte Vedra Beach. 

But actually doing it? Well, that takes tons of game and a little bit of luck. 

There are 19 avenues to The Players Championship and all of them require being a world-class player. There is no capturing lightning in a bottle in a 36-hole qualifier (such as the U.S. or British Open) or winning various amateur tournaments (U.S. and British Opens, and the Masters) or becoming a club pro and using those avenues to reach the PGA Championship. 

It also isn’t a lifetime achievement award. Winning the Masters means you’re there for most of the rest of your life. Winning a British Open or PGA is a golden ticket until you’re 65 years old. 

Winning a Players buys only five more years. 

Nick Dunlap will travel the shortest possible path to a Players Championship. He received a sponsor invitation for The American Express, then won the 72-hole tournament to earn PGA Tour membership, once he turned pro and left Alabama. 

Some players require years to earn their spot at the Stadium Course. 

Here are the requirements to enter The Players Championship. And there are no short-cuts: 

• Winners of PGA TOUR cosponsored or approved tournaments, whose victories are considered official, since the last Players Championship. 
• The top 125 players from the prior season’s FedEx Cup Fall and points list. 
• Winners of Masters Tournament from the years 2019-2023. 
• Winners of The Players Championship and The Open Championship from the years 2018-2023. 
• Winners of the U.S. Open and PGA Championship from the years 2018-2023. 
• Winner of the FedEx Cup from the 2018/19–2022/23 seasons. (This became a five-year exemption starting with the 2018/19 season.). 
• Winners of WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in the last three years (2021-2023). 
• Winner of the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. 
• Winners of the Genesis Invitational in the last three years (2022-2024). 
• Winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the last three years (2022-2024). 
• Winners of the Memorial Tournament in the last three years (2021–2023). 
• Current Men’s Golf Olympic Gold Medalist. 
• The top 50 players from the Official World Golf Ranking through the Cognizant Classic (March 4). 
• The top 10 players from the 2024 FedEx Cup points list through the Cognizant Classic. 
• The winner of the previous year’s PGA Tour Champions Kaulig Companies Championship. 
• The leading player to earn a PGA Tour card from the prior season’s Race to Dubai Ranking. 
• The leading player from the prior season’s Official Korn Ferry Tour points list. 
• If necessary to complete a field of 144 players, PGA Tour members from the 2024 FedEx Cup points list below 10th position through the Cognizant Classic, in order of their position. 

• Become a Member

Tournaments

• Player Pathway
• Rules of Golf
• Education Series
• Sota Series Programs Info
• Tournament Selection Process
• Junior Tour
• Players Tour
• Waiting List
• Rules & Regulations
• 12U PGA Championship
• Junior PGA Championships
• MN/WI Cup Matches
• Match Play Championship
• 2023 Recipients
• College Committs
• Drive, Chip & Putt
• PGA Jr. League
• Join the Conversation
• Buy a Golf License Plate
• Earn a Free Bag
• Member Login

PT Four-Ball Champ Players Tour Summer Four-Ball Championship

• Aug 12 Mon, Aug 12

Northfield GC

Northfield, MN

• Leaderboard

Registration

Event details.

Tee: Blue (6,264 yds - Par 72)

Welcome to Northfield Golf Club located just south of Minneapolis/St Paul in the heart of historic Northfield, MN on the shores of the Cannon River.

Starting Times

Age divisions, tournament information, junior boys leaderboard, mn pga junior golf policies.

Membership Registration

Tournaments Open for Registration

Players Tour - Legacy Golf

Legacy Golf

Faribault, MN

Players Tour - Cannon GC/The Jewel GC

Cannon GC, The Jewel GC

Cannon Falls, MN; Lake City, MN

Players Tour Tournament of Champions

Royal Golf Club

Lake Elmo, MN

Players Tour - Mankato GC/Le Sueur CC

Mankato GC, LeSueur CC

Mankato, MN; Le Sueur, MN

Players Tour - Albion Ridges GC

Albion Ridges GC- R/G

Annandale, MN

Players Tour - Minnewaska GC/Geneva GC

Minnewaska GC, Geneva GC - I/P

Glenwood, MN; Alexandria, MN

Players Tour - Whitebirch/Deacon's Lodge

Breezy Point - Whitebirch, Breezy Point- Deacons Lod

Pequout Lakes, MN; Breezy Point, MN

Players Tour - The Preserve/The Pines

The Preserve, The Pines

Pequot Lakes, MN; Nisswa, MN

Players Tour - Rose Creek GC

Rose Creek GC

Minny Tour - The Summit Par 3

The Summit GC- Par 3

Cannon Falls, MN

Course Tour

Current Events

Quick links, contact info.

© 2024 Minnesota PGA Jr. Golf

• Terms of Service Terms
• Accessibility
• Copyright © 2022 BlueGolf © 2022 BlueGolf

Create New List

Travelers Championship weather forecast: Round 4 tee times moved up

Change Text Size

Update: Sunday, 6:50 a.m. ET: The final round of the Travelers Championship got underway at 6:50 a.m. with players grouped in threesomes. Hot and humid weather will be seen in Cromwell, Connecticut, with the heat index in the afternoon in the upper 90s. Overcast skies will develop for potential pop-up thunderstorms to grow by late afternoon. Towards 6 p.m. ET anticipate that thunderstorms will become more numerous, with some possibly strong to severe with wind gusts of 20-25 mph. Expect wind throughout the day increasing to 12-17 mph.

Update: Saturday 7:40 p.m. ET: Due to expected inclement weather, Round 4 will be played in threesomes with tee times running from 6:50-11:15 a.m. ET and play ending by 4 p.m.

Update: Saturday 6:20 p.m. ET: Round 3 play resumes at 6:20 p.m. ET.

Update: Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET: Round 3 play is suspended at the Travelers Championship due to lightning.

Update: Friday 7:25 p.m. ET: Round 2 play has resumed at the Travelers.

Update: Friday 6:46 p.m. ET: Round 2 play is scheduled to resume at 7:25 p.m. ET.

Update: Friday 4:11 p.m. ET: Round 2 play is suspended at Travelers Championship due to lightning in the area.

Forecast for Round 2, as of Friday 6:30 a.m. ET: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy Friday morning with increasing clouds in the afternoon as a cold front drops in from the north. Showers and thunderstorms will begin to pop up around midday and increase after 2-3 p.m.. Afternoon thunderstorms will produce heavy downpours and potentially a few strong wind gusts. Rain and thunderstorms should rapidly diminish in coverage after sunset. The temperature will reach a high in the low 90s as the heat index peaks in the middle to upper 90s.

Friday’s second-round tee times at the Travelers Championship have been moved up one hour due to weather, PGA TOUR Communications announced Thursday. Heavy rain is slated to hit Connecticut on Friday afternoon, and the weekend could be soggy as well.

The first tee time will now be at 7:05 a.m. ET at TPC River Highlands; players will still compete in twosomes off No. 1 tee as originally scheduled. Will Zalatoris, who opened in 6-under 64, will play alongside Ben Griffin in the leadoff pairing.

Friday morning’s forecast calls for isolated showers and thunderstorms, with a 25% chance of rain. The forecast darkens for the afternoon, though, as a cold front is slated to enter from the north just after noon, with a 70% chance of rain. Expected rainfall is 0.5 to 1 inch, but some areas could see up to 2 inches, per the TOUR weather forecast.

“Severe cells are expected to produce prolific rainfall rates,” wrote the forecast.

The forecast improves for the weekend but still could be problematic. Saturday calls for a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, a percentage that increases to 50% in the afternoon. The same 30% to 50% range is slated for Sunday.

The silver lining: The Travelers' limited field of 70 players offers greater flexibility for same-day rounds to be completed after a delay.

Here’s a look at the Travelers Championship's day-by-day weather forecast:

• Friday morning: Isolated showers and thunderstorms, 25% chance of rain. Rainfall less than 0.1 inch. Low 69F. Winds N-NW moving W-NW, 3-7 mph.
• Friday afternoon: Heavy rain and thunderstorms likely, 70% chance of rain. Rainfall 0.5 to 1 inch. High 89F. Winds W-NW moving E-SE, 5-10 mph.
• Saturday morning: Few showers and thunderstorms, 30% chance of rain. Rainfall less than 0.1 inch. Low 66F. Winds E 4-8 mph.
• Saturday afternoon: Scattered thunderstorms, 50% chance of rain. Rainfall 0.25 to 0.5 inches. High 84F. Winds S 5-10 mph.
• Sunday: Few AM and scattered PM thunderstorms, 30% to 50% chance of rain. Rainfall 0.25 to 0.5 inches. High 89F, low 67F. Winds S 10-15 mph, afternoon gusts to 20 mph.